From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Shortly before the Cuban missile crisis, mystery Grand Master Block (Hit and Run) donned a pen name to publish this absorbing yarn about five men vying for a $100,000 prize put on Fidel Castros head by a mysterious guy named Hiraldo. Bounty hunter Ray Garrison only works on his own; hardened murderer Michael Turner is paired with 19-year-old Jim Hines, avenging his brothers execution; and Earl Fenton, longing to do some good before he dies of cancer, teams up with jack-of-all-trades Matt Garth, who just wants the money. As they make their way to the Cuban coast, sympathetic locals support the five would-be killers in their titular goal despite their penchant for rape and mayhem. Passages discussing Castros life and times add depth to this intense, taut thriller, just as good now as it was in 1961. (Jan.)
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From Booklist
Hard Case Crime continues to resurrect early work by genre salwart Lawrence Block that was orginally published in mass-market paperback under various pseudonyms. This one may be the most interesting find of all: published in 1961, before the Cuban Missile Crisis and onlya fewyears after Castro assumed control of the government, the novel anticipates the various off-the-wall attempts by the U.S. to assassinate the Cuban leader. Five Americans, some hardened criminals, others idealists with various anti-Castro axes to grind, are offered $20,000 each if any of them succeed in killing the dictator. Three separate plots unwind simultaneously, as Block tracks the reactions of his five principals as they, variously, realize the improbability of their task, stick to their idealistic guns, or come under the sway of the Cuban nationals they encounter. The ending may seem far-fetched in light of later history, but as a kind of alternate pulp history, the novel works just fine, with plenty of blood and bullets and, as always with Block, a fine feel for character. A curiosity, yes, but also an entertaining thriller. --Bill Ott
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